Sash guide member with interfitting casing



NOV. 28, F Q G51-EN 5R SASH GUIDE MEMBER WITH INTERFITTING CASING 2Sheets-Sheetl l Original Filed Sept. 24, 1956 85g' 2 nvm/ron. E525/@167,052/6? 57: maf/Z9 7495 Nov. 28,

Original Filed Sept. 24, 1956 F. C. OSTEN, SR

SASI-I GUIDE MEMBER WITH INTERFITTING CASING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I I I. II I I I I I I I I I I I IN VEN TOR.

Stats This invention relates to builders hardware and, in particular, tosash balances.

The principal object is to provide an automaticallylocking sash balancewherein the sash balance is housed in a substantially tubular casingwhich ts into a channel portion of la sash guide and interlockstherewith so that the sash guide channel selectively receives either thesash balance as a whole, or receives only the tubular casing which, byprojecting beyond the face of the sash guide into the side rail grooveof the sash provides guidance for the sash without spring balancing ofthe weight thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentduring the course of the following description of the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIGURE l is a vertical section through a removable sash Windowinstallation equipped with the automatically-locking sash balance of thepresent invention, tal-'ren along the line 1 1 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section taken along the line 2 2 in FIGURE 1,with a portion of the sash balance casing and sash broken away todisclose the interior of the sash balance in its unlocked and balancingposition;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section taken along the line 3 3 in FIGURE 2,showing sash balances of the present invention installed on theright-hand side and reversed sash balance casings installed as sashguide ribs on the left-hand side, in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary central vertical section through thelower end of the sash balance and trigger-tripping device, taken alongthe line 4 4 in FIGURE 5, with the sash balance tripped and unlocked;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section taken along theline 5 5 in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a View similar to the right-hand portion of FIGURE 4, butwith the sash removed from the window frame and the sash balanceautomatically locked, according to the invention, showing the lowerportion of the sash balance mainly in side elevation; and

FIGURE 7 is a vertical section taken along the line 7 7 in FIGURE 6,showing the lower portion of the sash balance substantially in frontelevation.

This application is a division of my co-pending application Serial No.611,509 tiled September 24, 1956, now Patent No. 2,903,736, issuedSeptember 15, 1959 for Automatically-Locking Sash Balance for RemovableSash Windows.

Referring to the drawings in detail, FIGURES l to 3 inclusive show aremovable sash window installation, generally designated 8, according toone form of the invention, as consisting generally of a window frame 10containing Xed and resiliently-mounted sash guides, general designated12 and 14 respectively, which in turn contain hollow guide ribs 16 and18 respectively, the former of which serve as casings for automatically-Patented Nov. 28,1961

locking sash balances, generally designated 20, on one side thereofengaging and balancing upper and lower sliding sashes 22 and 24respectively.

The window frame 10 is conventional and includes the usual side members26 interconnected by top and bottom members 28 and 30, the latter beingthe usual window sill. The window frame 10 is mounted in the usualopening above the horizontal stud 32 and has the usual parting rail 34recessed into the upper member 28 between the upper and lower sashes 22and 24 (FIGURE 1), which in turn are equipped with the usual windowpanes 36 and 38 respectively. Each sash 22 and 24 is provided with theusual meeting rails 40 and 42 and top and bottom rails 44 and 46 andside rails 48 interconnecting the horizontal rails 40, 42, 44 and 46.

The side rails 48 of each sash 22 or 24 are provided with longitudinalverticalA guide grooves 50 which on the right-hand side (FIGURE 3)slidably receive the elongated tubular casings 16 as guide ribs and onthe lefthand side slidably receive the empty reversed tubular casings 18as guide ribs. The side rails 48 on the righthand sides of the sashes 22and 24 also contain recesses 52 extending inwardly from the guidegrooves 50 (FIG- URES 4 and 5), which recesses 52 in turn contain sashbalance trigger-tripping devices, generally designated 54.

Each trigger-tripping device 54 consists of a substantially tubularcasing 56 having a face plate or mounting plate 58 drilled to receivefasteners 60 by which the device 54 is held in position. The casings 56are of rectangular cross-section (FIGURE 5) with opposite parallel sidewalls 62 drilled to receive a pivot pin. 64, the front Wall 66 having anelongated slot 68 therein. Pivotally mounted upon the pivot pin 64 is aswinging dog or catch 70 in the form of an arm having an angled pointedtip 72 projecting through the slot 68. The catch 70 also has a socket 74in which is mounted the outer end of a compression spring 76, therearward end of which engages the rearward wall 78 of the casing 56 asan abutment (FIGURE 4). In this manner, the pointed tip 72 of the catch70 is constantly urged outward through the slot 68 but is adapted toyield and be swung into the chamber within the casing 56 as explainedbelow in connection with the operation of the invention.

The fixed and resiliently-mounted sash guides 12 and 14 are of similarconstruction, except for their dilference in mobility, hence a singledescription will suffice for both. Each sash guide 12 or 14 ispreferably rolled from a suitable sheet metal, such as sheet aluminumand has spaced parallel edge walls 79 and a front wall 80 (FIG- URES 3and 5) with a pair of spaced channels 82 formed therein, each of thesechannels 82 having bottom walls 83 and parallel guide grooves 84 formedin its opposite side walls 86. The guide grooves 84 are so positionedthat they slidably receive guide ribs 88 projecting outwardly from themid-portions of the side Walls 90 of the casings or hollow guide ribs 16or 18 midway between their front and rear walls 92 and 94 respectively.Each front wall 92 is provided with a slot 96 running from end to endthereof, thus interrupting the otherwise tubular character of the rib orcasing 16 or 18.

By reason of this construction, the tubular member 16 or 18 can be usedeither as a spring balance casing, as on the right-hand side of FIGURE3, or reversed and used as a hollow guide rib, as on the left-hand sideof FIGURE 3, enabling the same part to do double duty. Each of the sashguides 12 and 14 along its approximate center line is drilled andcountersunk to receive fasteners 98 and 100 respectively, such as woodscrews, threaded into the window frame side members 26 (FIGURE 3). Thefasteners 98 are relatively short and hold the anged edges 102 of theedge walls 79 in xed abutting relationship with their respective windowframe side member 26. The fasteners 108, on the other hand, are longerthan the fasteners 98 so as to permit the flanged edges 102 of the edgewalls 79 to be moved away from their respective window frame sidemembers 26, being resiliently urged into such a position by helicalcompression springs 184 having their rearward ends seated in sockets 186formed in the side member 26 and having their forward ends engaging thebottom walls 83 of the channels 82 of the resiliently-mounted sash guide14. By this means, the guide ribs 18 are resiliently urgedinto'engagement with the guide grooves 50 in the side rails 48 on theleft-hand sides of the sashes 22 and 24, the latter being in turn urgedagainst the tubular casings 16 of the sash balances 20 which serve alsoas guide ribs.

The tubular casing 16 of each sash balance 20 is drilled at its upperend to receive a transverse spring anchorage pin 106 (FIGURE 2) to whichis anchored the hooked upper end of an elongated helical tension springor balancing spring 188, the hooked lower end of which is hooked throughthe eye 110 (FIGURES 4, 6 and 7) of a cable anchorage clip 112 having aferrule 114 in which the reversely-bent upper end portion 116 of a shortexible wire cable member 118 is firmly secured. The'lower portion of thecable 118 passes through a substantially vertical bore 120 in a sashlocking plate 122 and has an enlarged head 124 seated in a socket 126 inthe bottom thereof (FIGURE 4). The sash-locking plate 122 on itsrearward edge is provided with a sharp transverse locking edge 128 andon its front side with a laterallyprojecting trigger portion 130 havinga sash-engaging abutment surface 132 on its upper side and a roundedcatch-deecting surface 134 on its lower side.

Rearwardly of the bore 120, the locking plate 122 below the sharp edge128 is bored transversely to receive a pivot pin 136 upon which thelocking plate 122 is rockably mounted (FIGURES 6 and 7). The lockingplate 122 is rockably mounted in a parallel-walled notch 138 in theupper end of a reciprocatory guide block 140 reciprocably mounted in thecasing 16. The opposite ends of the pivot pin 136 are seated in alignedbores 142 (FIG- URE 7) in the block 140 on opposite sides of the notch138 in such a manner that the trigger portion 130 projects outwardthrough the slot 96 into the path of the tip 72 of the catch 70 when thesharp edge 128 is in engagement with the rearward wall 94 of the casing16. The pivot pin 136 is mounted slightly to the rear of the cable 118and slightly below the level of the abutment surface 132 of the lockingplate 122, the spacing of the cable connection from the pivot 136providing a rocking lever arm upon the locking plate 122. The lockingplate 122 is preferably of a tough material, such as polymeric amidesynthetic plastic, known commercially as nylonf In the operation of theinvention, let it be assumed that the sashes 22and 24 have been insertedin the window frame 111 and engaged with their respective guides 12 and14 by inserting them one by one obliquely against the resilient sashguide 14 so as to push it to the left and permit the casing 16 of thesash balance 20 to enter the guide groove 54 in the side rail 48 (FIGURE3). Let it also be assumed that the sashes 22 and` 24 are insufliciently raised positions that their respective catches 70 are abovethe locking plates 122 and pulled downward (FIGURE 4) in a mannersuicient to engage the abutment surface 132 of the trigger portion 13Gand swing the locking plate 122 counterclockwise around its pivot pin136 so as to withdraw the sharp edge 128 thereof from locking engagementwith the rear wall 94. The catch 72 in its outward swinging is limitedby the upper end of the slot 68 from projecting too far into theinterior of the .4 casing 16. Under these conditions, the sash balances20 are unlocked and the tensions of their springs 108 are applied inbalancing relationship to their respective sashes 22 and 24 (FIGURES 2and 4).

If, now, one of the sashes 22 or 24 is removed by pushing it to the leftagainst the resiliently-mounted sash guide 14 (FIGURE 3) so as to freethe right-hand guide grooves 50 from engagement with the casings 16 andpermit the sash 22 or 24 to be withdrawn from the window frame 10. Whenthis occurs, the tip 72 of the catch 78 is disengaged from its abutmentsurface 132 on the trigger portion 130 of the locking plate 122,permitting the spring 188 in pulling upward upon the cable 118 to rockthe locking plate 122 clockwise (FIGURE 6) around its pivot pin 136,causing the sharp edge 128 thereof to engage and dig into the rear wall94 of the casing 16, thereby locking the sash balance 20 in its extendedposition with the spring 198 in its tensioned condition.

When the sash 22 or 24 is again inserted in the Window frame 10 with thetip 72 of the catch 70 on a level below the trigger portion 130 of thelocking plate 122, lifting of the sash 22 or 24 moves its respectivetriggertripping device 54 upward so that the tip 72 of the catch 70 isswung away from the locking plate 22 by being cammed against the curvedlower edge 134 of the trigger portion 130 of the locking plate 122,permitting the spring 108 in pulling upward upon the cable 118 to rockthe locking plate 122 clockwise (FIGURE 6) around its pivot pin 136,causing the sharp edge 128 thereof to engage and dig into the rear wall94 of the casing 16, thereby locking the sash balance 20 in its extendedposition with the spring 188 in its tensioned condition.

When the sash 22 or 24 is again inserted in the window frame 10 with thetip 72 of the catch 70 on a level below the trigger portion 130 of thelocking plate 122, lifting of the sash 22 or 24 moves its respectivetriggertripping device 54 upward so that the tip 72 of the catch 70 isswung away from the locking plate 22 by being cammed against the curvedlower edge 134 of the trigger portion 130, compressing the spring 76.The latter, however, immediately causes the catch 70 to be swung in theopposite direction through the slot 68, whereupon the lowering of thesash 22 or 24 moves the tip 72 of the catch 70 downward into engagementwith the abutment surface 132 of the trigger portion 138, swinging thelocking plate 122 counterclockwise around its pivot pin 136 from thelocked position of FIGURE 6 to the unlocked position of FIGURES 2 and 4,at the same time disengaging the sharp-edged portion 128 from itsengagement with' the rear wall 94 ofthe casing 16 of the sash balance20. The latter thereupon resumes its balancing function until it is nextdesired to remove the sash 22 What I claim is:

- 1. A combination sash guide and sash balance casing construction forsliding sash Windows having sash side rails with longitudinal guidegrooves therein, said construction comprising an elongated sash guidemember having a longitudinally-directed channel therein, an elongatedhollow casing having front, rear and side walls with an elongatedaperture in said front wall, said casing being matingly engageable withsaid channel, said casing having a depth exceeding the depth of saidchannel with a portion projecting therefrom into relative slidingengageability with the longitudinal guide grooves in the sash siderails, and means comprising interlitting detent portions formed in theside walls of said guide member and casing removably securing saidcasing in said channel.

2. A combination sash guide and sash balance casing construction forsliding sash windows having sash side rails with longitudinal guidegrooves therein, said construction comprising an elongated sash guidemember having a longitudinally-directed channel therein, an elongatedhollow casiag having front, rear and side walls 6 with an elongatedaperture in said -front wall, said casing References Cited in the fileof this patent being matingly engageable wi-th said channel, said casinghaving a depth exceeding the depth of said channel UNITED STATES PATENTSwith a portion projecting therefrom into relative sliding 724134 SmithMar 31 1903 engageability with the longitudinal guide grooves in the 51909698 Madse' May' 16 1933 sash side rails, `and means comprisingintertting detent 2747219 Haas May 29 1956 portions formed in the sideWalls of said guide member A@iT/5:7923 Bent Jan. l 1957 and casingremovably and reversibly securing said casing in said channel.

